Crusade Peek #7

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The Asheroth and Kujix are the two factions that oppose each other within Quest Online's persistent state world

By IGN Staff

In the land of Andarus, the Asheroth faction embraces light, nature, heart and mind. Standing for order, obedience and protection, it attracts fighters who wish to represent these values. The group's refined traditions also reflect organization and cleanliness. Accordingly, members are distinguished visually by brighter materials and emblems plus reflective surfaces. Up close, their eyes glow as they gain power. Those of the Kujix darken. Their culture embodies chaos, assertion, conquest and the belief that conflict naturally separates the strong from the weak. They use dark stone and crystals in their structures, and exploit energy from underground sources like volcanoes.

Crusade is a massively multiplayer project in which the Asheroth and Kujix control most of the main continents, Alganon and Harraja respectively. There are still some neutral cities, so naturally, the two opposing organizations both seek to expand their influence. To this end, they are making their warriors as formidable as possible by acquiring ancient weapons, learning new magic and engaging in fearsome battles. In these and other endeavors, they can call upon the assistance of deities that walk the land supporting their followers. To help improve our understanding of the title, we enlisted the aid of developer Quest Online.

Factions

Crusade was built on the premise of having a world where the players could represent living, breathing factions - not just in name, but in culture, power and community. Too many MMOGs are very impersonal about exactly what the different sides represent other than a simple title or label.

Sharkoth has not been seen by any other than the highest ranked Kujix in centuries. He is said to command demonic dark servants, legions of the dead, and to hold slave a Colossus

The Asheroth and Kujix represent the central nexus of Crusade. When creating a character, players must choose one of the two factions to join, and each faction is very unique in look, culture and world standing. And while the classes may be similar (melee for Asheroth vs. melee for Kujix), they play differently. One example is Necromancy vs. Soulsinging - carving the organs out of a fallen creature versus capturing its freshly released soul. While the rewards of both harvesting techniques are similar, the methods carried out for each style results in a completely different feeling of gameplay for each side.

Before I get into additional gameplay details, here's a quick overview of the Asheroth and Kujix. Note that this information does pertain to the real gameworld, and the overall design of the two factions as they will be experienced by the players.

The Asheroth are the sworn enemy of the Kujix, and stand for order, obedience and protection. Embracing the ways of light, nature, heart and mind, they represent the most powerful warriors in the land who wish to take up arms against chaos and destruction. The Asheroth culture is very refined and sophisticated. They prefer lighter materials, bright emblems, and bright reflective surfaces. They prefer things that are clean and organized. They embrace the use of machinery, but only that which runs efficiently and is pleasing to the eye. As an Asheroth gains in power, their eyes will begin to glow. The most powerful Asheroth are said to have eyes so bright you cannot look into them.

The Kujix represent chaos, assertion, and conquering. They feel that power is obtained by conquest and conflict naturally separates the strong from the weak. The Kujix have a very dark culture, both in teachings and in representation. They utilize dark stone and crystals in their structures, and harness the power of subterranean sources such as volcanoes, and also embrace the use of raw machinery in their quest for world domination. As a Kujix gains in power, their eyes turn to shadow, with the most powerful members eyes emanating such darkness that their mere presence is terrifying.

The capital city of the Asheroth is Asheran, located in the southwest part of Alganon. Within the middle of this beautiful city is the grand temple. Carved from raw crystal, its nexus point is a massive crystal formation from which emanates a golden light that shoots into the sky. Day or night, this light acts as a beacon for all travelers that can be seen from afar, and a reminder as to the power and protection of the Asheroth.

The emperor of the Asheroth is a man known as Astradan. He rules from within this temple, and is only available for visit to the highest ranked members. It is rumored that he regularly communes with the gods, and exudes such power that average men would simply fall to the ground dead if in his presence. Astradan has not been seen for centuries.

The capital city of the Kujix is Xanjuix Karr, nestled into the mountains of the Southwest Xanjuix Plains. A large city that is partially carved in the side of the mountain, large machines run from deep within its chambers, producing a dark smoke that can be seen from the nearby realms.

History tells us that Sharkoth, the warlord leader of the Kujix, was once an ordinary Talrok, and the best friend of Astradan. He now resides in the massive Kujix temple high atop the city, overlooking the entire plains. As with Astradan, Sharkoth has not been seen by any other than the highest ranked Kujix in centuries. He is said to command demonic dark servants, legions of the dead, and to hold slave a Colossus born in the massive furnace room beneath his temple.